So I got a new (used) bike, a Jamis Aurora Elite Touring Bike, circa 2008:

Somewhat bizarrely, until yesterday I had never really ridden a "road bike," or really any configuration of bike aside from a mountain bike. Taking one of my usual loops around my area, what usually took me 45 minutes took me about 35 instead. Which is to say that I was going scary-fast with what seemed like minimal effort, and hadn't even reached the end of my gears yet.

A thing that struck me as strange was the grip on the handlebars. Gripping vertically seems strange for me, and even a little tiring, given that I've been placing my weight on my wrists, and now my weight is on my thumbs. Additionally, the brakes seem in a weird place, and maybe even a little out of reach for what I'm used to, but it might just be that I haven't found the right place to settle.

Also, while I was thinking the gear changers would be familiar, not having the little indicator numbers on the gear changers is weird. For some reason, this is something my brain wants quantified. I'm going to have to get used to switching without looking down to see which gear I'm in.